Syringe needle protector



Oct. 28, 1958 "r. FEINSTONE ET AL 2,357,912

SYRINGE NEEDLE PROTECTOR Filed Oct. 21', 1955 nvmvrozzs y- THEODORE FEINS'TONE y SAMUEL ,FEINSTONE Q 1 UnitedStates Patent SYRINGE NEEDLE PROTECTOR Theodore Feinstone, Levittown, and Samuel Feinstone, Brooklyn, N. Y.; said Samuel Feinstone assignor to said Theodore Feinstone Application October 27, 1955, Serial No. 543,123

1 Claim. (Cl. 128-215) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in injection needle protection devices.

More particularly, the present invention proposes the construction of an improved dental syringe needle protector or safety cap or guard which can easily and quickly be removably but securely mounted on a dental syringe over the needle to protect the needle from breaking, burring or bending prior to use.

As a further object, the present invention proposes forming the protector with perforated side walls so that the entire syringe with needle can be sterilized by the usual type sterilizers and the water or other sterilizing fluid will have free access to the needle permitting a washing action, but the needle will at all times be protected against bending, breaking or burring.

Another object of the present invention proposes forming the protector with a resilient mouth portion frictionally to be secured to the chuck or hub of a dental syringe for the protector fully to cover the needle in the syringe and thereby to prevent bending of the needle which may cause painful injection and would also prevent the needle from possible breakage during injection.

A further object of the invention proposes forming the protector as a jacket having hinged longitudinal halves with locking clasps to lock the halves together around a dental syringe needle when the needle is ina syringe.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a dental syringe and needle with a needle protector or safety cap constructed and arranged in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but with the needle protector removed.

Fig. 3 is an end perspective view of the protector shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but showing a modification of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the structure shown in Fig. 6 but with the jacket open.

Fig. 8 is a similar view to Fig. 3, but showing another modification of the invention.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the dental syringe needle protector in accordance with the first form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, inclusive, has a jacket 15 made of sterilizable metal, plastic or like material.

Jacket 15 is hollow having a perforated tubular side wall 16, a closed end wall 17 and an axial chamber 18. The jacket side wall 16 has a plurality of spaced perforations or openings 19 preferably arranged as shown with open- 2,857,912 Patented. Oct. 28,1958

v 2 ings opposed acrossthe jacket, four lines of openings being provided at ninetydegree intervals around the jacket and only the openings in the opposed lines being aligned. The openings 19 are large enough for water or other sterilizing fluid to pass through but not large enough for any solid needle breaking objects to pass through.

Jacket 15 has a resilient open mouth portion 20 with a plurality of spaced longitudinal slit openings 21, 22, 23 and 24. The resilient open mouth portion 20 should be of stiifly flexible material but may and preferably should be an integral part of the jacket and molded or otherwise formed with it. A The closed end wall 17 of the tubular jacket 15 is also provided with a perforation or opening :25 like the perforations 19 in the side wall 16 but disposed in the center of the disced closed end wall 17.

Resilient open mouth portion 20 of the jacket frictionally and removably fits securely over the chuck or hub 26 of a dental syringe 27 so that the needle 28 is housed and encased in the axial chamber 18 of the perforated jacket 15 without the needle touching the jacket.

The perforations 19 in the side wall 16 of the jacket and the perforation 25 in the closed end wall 17 of the jacket permit the syringe and needle to be sterilized without danger of bending, breaking, or burring the needle, and the jacket protects the needle at all times prior to use, and. also protection against bacteriological contamination.

The modification of the invention illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 is characterized by the provision of a tubular jacket 30 having two longitudinal halves 31 and 32 hinged together by hinges 34 and 35 along their sides 36 and 37 and removably locked together along their sides 38 and 39 by spring clamps 40 and 41.

The side walls 42 and 43 of the jacket halves 31 and 32 have spaced perforations or openings 44 and the disced closed end walls 45 and 46 of the jacket halves 31 and 32 have a perforated opening 47. The mouth portions 48 and 49 of the jacket halves have spaced longitudinal slit openings 50. The jacket can be closed around the needle and needle chuck of any dental syringe.

In Fig. 8 the jacket 15' is shown with slots 19 instead of openings 19. In other respects this form of the invention is similar to the preferred form and the corresponding parts may be recognized by similar reference numerals with a prime added.

It is to be understood that this syringe needle protector guard may be made of any material, size and shape suitable for dental, medical, pharmaceutical, veterinary, or research purposes.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of our invention, it is to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent 1s:

A dental syringe needle protector guard comprising a hollow jacket having perforated side and end walls and an axial chamber to house and encase a dental syringe needle without the needle touching the jacket, said jacket having a resilient open tapered restricted mouth portion frictionally and removably to fit over a dental syringe needle and onto the needle hub or chuck of a dental syringe, said open mouth portion having a plurality of longitudinal slit openings intersecting the end opening in the mouth portion, said mouth portion being made of stiffiy flexible material, said jacket being tubular with one closed end, the perforations in said walls being spaced per- 4 "v foration openings of a size for boiling water and other FOREIGN PATENTS sterilizing fluid to have access -to the axial chamber and 7 813,433 Ge 11 Se t. 13, 1-951 dental syringe needle therein. rma y p ReferencesCited in the file of this patent 5 v UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,595,666 Hutson May 6, 1952 

